NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb women’s basketball team defeated the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears 50-46 Saturday afternoon at Allen Arena on senior day.
With the win, Lipscomb secures at least one more game at Allen Arena for Sydney Shelton and Taylor Hammack, the two players graduating after this season.
Seeding advantages for the ASUN Tournament next week were on the line in a battle between ASUN West Division teams deadlocked at 4-11 in conference play, and the stakes were evident from opening tip.
Neither side could manage any offensive momentum early, but UCA had the advantage in the early going. The Sugar Bears grew an early lead to 9-1 at the 3:48 mark in the first quarter, riding strong defense to the largest lead of the game for either team.
“They’re probably one of the best teams in our league as far as being dominant in the post,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said, “but I think we did a good job sticking to our guns.”
A pair of three-pointers from sophomore Jalyn Holcomb and junior Blythe Pearson, respectively, helped Lipscomb make an 8-2 run to cut the lead to two after the first frame. True freshman Bella Vinson scored a buzzer-beating layup inside to cap off the run and make the score 11-9 at the break.
Vinson finished with a team-leading 12 points and added four rebounds for the Bisons.
“My teammates have been scoring, so they opened up the floor for me,” Vinson said. “I’m glad I could convert this game.”
Vinson scored again early in the second quarter on a three to give Lipscomb their first lead at 15-14, but the lead was short-lived.
Hannah Langhi made a putback layup to put Central Arkansas back on top by one, and from there, the Sugar Bears held the lead through the halftime break. Lipscomb kept pace with solid defense, though, holding UCA scoreless for the final 3:09 of the half.
Sophomore transfer Nicole Hemphill made a layup inside to end the half on a high note and make the score 22-21 midway through the contest.
The third quarter belonged to Kentucky transfer Dorie Harrison inside the paint. The 6’3″ center scored on three straight possessions for Lipscomb to give the Bisons a three-point lead with 7:40 left in the third.
UCA went on a 6-0 run directly after, but the Bisons capped the quarter on a 5-0 run of their own to make it a 1-point deficit once more going into the final frame.
With the game on the line and the score at 35-36, Lipscomb knew they needed to take control in the ten minutes that remained.
“I think we just had to remain focused and focus on defense,” Vinson said. “We had to get stops in order to turn it into offense for us.”
The Bisons forced two straight turnovers for the Sugar Bears to start the fourth and scored five points on the other end, making the score 40-36 in favor of the Purple and Gold.
The teams traded blows down the stretch, with Central Arkansas tying the game on three occasions, but Lipscomb took the lead for good with two free throws from Shelton at the 1:54 mark.
From there, defensive stops and effective free throw shooting secured an enormous momentum boost for the Bisons.
“It’s a huge difference–we knew that going into this game we’d get a home game, and we needed that,” Vinson said. Obviously we have a better crowd here and we’re more comfortable here.”
The Bisons host North Florida, the five seed from the East Division, in the first round of the ASUN Conference Tournament 7 p.m. Wednesday. That match will be broadcast live on The Bison, Lipscomb’s on-campus radio station.
“Last time [against North Florida], transition defense was huge,” Sumski said. “They do a great job of finding their shooters in transition, and they’re a really good ball-screen offense.”
If the Bisons progress, they will travel to Fort Myers, Florida, to face top-25 program Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN Quarterfinal Sunday at 1 p.m. central time.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics